...

Walking back with calm steps to the clearing where the cadets and instructors were already beginning to wake up, amidst groans and grunts of confusion, Theo gave a slight smile and looked to the side.

"Hmm, amazing? You know this was as anti-climactic as watching a movie when you already know the ending, right?"

His face, which moments before was a mask of impenetrable coldness, now displayed a playful expression.

"Okay, okay... Don't spoil this host's congratulatory mood."

Cappie replied beside him, her voice laden with exaggerated dignity.

She, now in her human form, walked beside him with light steps.

The strands of her blue hair swayed gently as she adjusted her cap. A glint of amusement danced in her black eyes, contrasting with her attempt to maintain a serious posture.

"After all," she continued, lifting her chin with a superior air.

"It's not every day that one has the honor of witnessing my flawless performance as tactical support."

Theo chuckled softly, shaking his head.

"Flawless performance? You mean that 'strategic nap' you took in my shirt pocket while I was dealing with Sven?"

Cappie made an expression as if she had just been offended, placing her hands on her hips.

"Strategic nap? I was recharging my energy! Someone has to keep up appearances while you do all that unnecessary drama. But, I admit, I liked what you said."

She clenched her fist in an adorable way.

"That creep deserved to suffer. If he had tried to do anything to Nayun, I would have gone and dealt with him myself."

Her words, though spoken to Theo, were actually a message exclusively for all the demons of lust, the bastards who "violated" their victims before killing them.

For her, now a resident of the human world, knowing that beings like that breathed the same air as her gave her a deep sense of nausea. That was partly why she had agreed to help Theo with the academic club president.

That guy had also signed a contract with a demon of lust, and it was inconceivable that he should continue to live any longer.

As they were about to step out from the shadows of the trees, Cappie suddenly stopped, pulling on Theo's shirt.

"Hey, host."

"What is it?"

She faced him, her black eyes now serious, without any trace of playfulness.

"You said you didn't feel anything when you killed those two."

Unlike Sven, who was corrupted before he died, Shyun and Jonas were still human.

Although they possessed demonic powers, they had made a pact with another Djinn, not directly with a demon.

In such cases, Djinns received magical power from the contracted Djinns to avoid corruption, and their contracts were more flexible. These Djinns were often treated as disposable, being abandoned or killed if they failed their missions. On the other hand, Djinns who made direct pacts with demons were much rarer.

Theo fell silent, his smile disappearing. He just stared back at her.

"Is that true?"

She asked in a low voice.

"Nothing at all?"

He looked away for a moment, watching Kim Suho help Yi Yeonghan to his feet in the clearing. Then, his eyes returned to Cappie.

"It's like I said. They were ants in my path. Do you feel anything when you step on an ant?"

Cappie studied him for another long second, as if looking for a flaw in his posture.

"Sigh!"

For her, Theo's indifference to killing wasn't the problem; in fact, she didn't even care. The problem would be if something affected him to the point of making him stop being who he was, stop being the Theo she and the others knew.

"Okay..."

She trusted his judgment, even without fully understanding it.

"Alright, then."

She reached out her arm, caressing his face, the seriousness melting into a small smile. She leaned in close enough for Theo to feel the touch of her lips on his ear.

"Just don't get used to stepping on ants. It might get your shoes dirty, my handsome host."

With a voice full of fascination, she left Theo staring into space.

"Tsk! That girl... I'll have to correct her in the future. Who starts something and doesn't finish it?"

It was the second time she had done that, and he certainly wouldn't let a third time happen.

...

As he emerged into the clearing, Theo was immediately enveloped in a tight hug from Nayun. She squeezed him hard, her face buried in his shoulder, her voice choked with relief.

"Theo! Thank God you're okay! We were so worried!"

A little further away, Yeonha, her eyes wide with apprehension, almost ran to join the hug but stopped abruptly. It wasn't yet time to make their relationship public.

Her expression, a mixture of relief and frustration, betrayed the worry that consumed her.

"Theo! What happened? Where were you? We couldn't find you anywhere after we woke up!"

Her voice, though controlled, carried a hint of concern as she tried to disguise the emotion overwhelming her.

Hazuki and Rachel also approached, their curious gazes fixed on Theo, perhaps hoping he could clarify what had happened.

Before Theo could answer Nayun's and Yeonha's questions, the firm voice of instructor Kim Soohyuk echoed, interrupting the moment.

"Rank 10 Cadet, Theo Sagan, may we have a word?"

Theo turned to everyone, a reassuring smile on his lips.

"Just a second, guys, I'll be right back."

Nayun, who had been hugging him tightly until then, quickly pulled away, her face flushed with embarrassment. Hazuki, seeing her reaction, had to hold herself back from laughing out loud.

A little away from the cadets, Theo was the first to break the silence between him and the instructor, who had many questions on his mind.

"...You want to know what happened here, don't you, Instructor Kim Soohyuk? You want to know who caused that on the grass, and that damage in the forest."

With a slight nod, the instructor confirmed that yes, he, like many cadets and instructors, wanted to at least understand what had happened.

"Well then... Here it goes..."

Theo, who had expected this outcome, began to speak, explaining what happened in half-truths.

After explaining detail by detail, Theo finally finished.

With a face full of uncertainty, the instructor went to check the images recorded by the drones to find out if what Theo said was really true.

He couldn't believe that three Djinns had appeared, and that the cadet in front of him had killed them. No, he couldn't believe anything he had heard, be it the reason they all fainted or the information that the artificial dungeon had been sabotaged.

"Stay here with the others, I'll go check..."

"Of course, just ask me if you need anything."

Aware that the instructor would see nothing but illusions created by his magic in the footage, Theo moved away, returning to where his friends and girlfriends were.

...